thumb|The first écu, issued by Louis IX of France, in 1266. The term écu () may refer to one of several French coins. The first écu was a gold coin (the ''écu d'or) minted during the reign of Louis IX of France, in 1266. The value of the écu varied considerably over time, and silver coins (known as écu d'argent'') were also introduced.
Article
8 sectionsContents
- History
- Origin
- Écu d'or
- Silver Louis or écu of 1641
- Silver écu of 1726
- French Revolution
- References in novels
- References
thumb|The first écu, issued by Louis IX of France, in 1266. The term écu () may refer to one of several French coins. The first écu was a gold coin (the ''écu d'or) minted during the reign of Louis IX of France, in 1266. The value of the écu varied considerably over time, and silver coins (known as écu d'argent) were also introduced.
Écu (from Latin scutum) means shield. The coin was so called because its design included the coat of arms of France. The word is related to the Catalan escut, Italian scudo, or Portuguese and Castilian escudo. In English, the écu was often referred to as the crown, or the French crown in the eras of the English crown, British crown, and other crowns.